The Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) announced Providence Health & Services Alaska as the winner of its seventh annual film festival competition during APIC’s 44th Annual Conference Wednesday, June 14, in Portland, Ore.

The ‘Look at Me’ song was written by and features the vocals of former Providence caregiver Andre Blaack Williams, who is now a recording artist based in Atlanta. The video features Providence Alaska caregivers and family members.

“We are honored to be recognized for the hard work that went into making this fun and educational video,” said Rebecca Hamel, RN, manager of Infection Prevention at Providence Alaska Medical Center. “One of the best things about the ‘Look at Me’ song and video is that it features the diversity of our caregivers all working together to share the message of how clean hands save lives.”

Providence’s music video draws attention to the importance of thorough and consistent hand washing, stressing that 20-25 seconds is needed to achieve clean hands. The video outlines “wet, lather, scrub, rinse, dry” (W.L.S.R.D.) as the basic steps for hand hygiene and infection prevention.

“Seeing hand hygiene best practices demonstrated in a music video is an entertaining and simple way to prevent infection and help the viewer grasp the domino effect of unclean hands in a health care facility,” said Timothy Wiemken, PhD, MPH, CIC, APIC 2017 Annual Conference chair. “Providence’s standout video is an excellent addition to the film festival winner’s circle and is a useful tool to drive home the importance of hand hygiene.”

An expert panel of judges selected the winning video for its inventiveness, originality, general appeal, significance to the infection prevention community, and educational message.

APIC’s mission is to create a safer world through prevention of infection. The association’s more than 15,000 members direct infection prevention programs that save lives and improve the bottom line for hospitals and other healthcare facilities. APIC advances its mission through patient safety, implementation science, competencies and certification, advocacy, and data standardization.